The performance brand spun out of Volvo Cars is finalizing production plans for its first vehicle, the Polestar 1 hybrid coupe.

As electrified vehicle startups struggle to establish steady production, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath says meeting the brand's target date and satisfying its first customers will be crucial. Ingenlath said Polestar will have a better idea of its production plans in the coming weeks when deposits on the Polestar 1 start coming in.

"You can get yourself into a hell of a problem if you're overly optimistic," he said during an interview on the sidelines of the Geneva auto show.

Polestar has been measured in its approach, choosing to launch with a hybrid because of the lack of charging infrastructure and weak customer acceptance of full-electric vehicles.

The brand initially planned to produce the Polestar 1 in low volumes — just 500 vehicles a year — but after receiving 6,000 hand-raisers in the first five months after its introduction, Polestar is considering adding a second shift to the factory it is building in Chengdu, China, Ingenlath said.

The company won't increase production more than adding a shift, he said.

Polestar joined a young, but growing field of performance electrified vehicle makers when it introduced itself as a stand-alone brand under Volvo's umbrella last year.

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Tesla proved the potential of the segment with the popularity of its Model S sedan and Model X crossover. Startups with Chinese backing such as SF Motors and Lucid also have been working on premium electrified vehicles.

Though Tesla has grown a market for its vehicles, the electric automaker has struggled to ramp up production. The company received more than 455,000 deposits for its mass-market Model 3 sedan — which launched in July — but delivered just 1,770 vehicles in 2017. The automaker initially estimated that it would be producing 5,000 vehicles a week by the end of 2017, but has pushed the target back to the second quarter of this year.

Production delays have become common for Tesla, and now that the company has launched its first mass-market vehicle, they threaten to damage its reputation.

"At some point, the delays may become more of an issue if they persist," Barclays analyst Brian Johnson wrote in a note to investors on the Model 3's 2017 deliveries. "Credibility may fray."

Some Chinese-backed contenders such as Lucid and Faraday Future have struggled to establish a manufacturing base, throwing their projected launch dates into question.

Polestar, with its ties to an established automaker, has major advantages over rivals. For instance, the brand will be able to use Volvo's dealer network for deliveries and service.

Ingenlath said, "We have a realistic picture of what it takes and we have the experience in doing so."

The article "Polestar Avoiding delays cruical to early success" originally appeared on autonews.com

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